Just Like You
by TheTurtLeGiRL
Summary: Lyndee Fairborn is a new student at Degrassi, with no friends, until she meets Craig. Like Craig, Lyndee's father beats her. Will Craig help her thru it, or make it worse?
1. 1

I stared at my shattered reflection in my mirror. It had broke in the move here, but I kept it all the same. In the cracked glass I saw my alarm clock blinking '7:30' at me. I turned to my bed and slung my backpack over my shoulder. I didn't want to be late, my dad would not be proud of that.

He was sitting at the kitchen table, a steaming cup of coffee in his hands, when I walked in. He didn't notice me until I cleared my throat uncertainly.

"Ah!" He said, looking up from his paper. "Lyndee! Are you ready to go?"

I nodded, and headed for the door. He made sure to take his time in putting on his tie, and buttoning his sweater. What would he care if I was late for my first day at Degrassi? He didn't care about anything that had to do with me.

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The end of summer- fall air was warm as I got out of the car. Kids were swarming everywhere, finding their friends and comparing summer stories. I felt completely out of place, starting a new school as a sophomore.

I ran up the steps, in the building. It smelled like freshness. I headed to the office to pick up my schedule. My homeroom teacher, as I read, was a Mrs. Kwan. I thanked the lady, and turned to leave. Being the klutz that I am, I ran into a very tall person and fell back. I looked up to find his hand extended, ready to help me up. I quickly pulled up my hoodie, which had fallen off my shoulder, and got up with his assistance.

"Sorry," I muttered, looking at the ground.

"No problem," He said. "I'm Craig Manning."

"Um, hey Craig. I'm Lyndee Fairborn." I tugged on my sweater sleeve, praying that he didn't see the bruises on my arms, left by my dad.

"Grade 11?" He asked me. I shook my head.

"No, Grade 10." I corrected him.

"Oh. You looked older."

I nodded; so did he. "First year here?" He asked. "I haven't seen you around."

"Yeah. I just moved here from BC." I said smiling. I had always loved BC, but as soon as my parents got divorced, my dad decided we were moving. And now, here we are.

"Mrs. Kwan?" He asked, indicated the piece of paper in my hand.

I nodded again, "Yeah."

"Mind if I walk you?" He asked, shifting his backpack.

"No, not at all."

I was glad I had something of a friend now. He seemed nice, and had a nice smile. And he was easy to talk to. He was interested in music, as I found out from our little conversation to Mrs. Kwan's homeroom.

"Yeah," he said simply. "Music is, like, my life."

"You sing?" I asked, curiously.

"Yeah, and play the guitar. I'm nothing much, though."

"Hey, Craig!" A voice said. We both turned around.

"Hey Spin!" Craig said to the voice, a boy with blonde hair, running up to us. He smiled faintly at me and grabbed Craig's arm.

"I need to tell you something!" He said excitedly, pulling Craig down the hall.

"Um, see you later?" Craig called back at me. I nodded.

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Authors Note – Okay this was sorta a trail chapter thing, so I'm sorry it was so short. Please tell me what you think, and if you think I should continue with it. Thanks!


	2. 2

The house is empty when I get home from school. Dad is still at work. It's usually always like this. He doesn't come home from work until the very late hours of the night. He thinks I'm asleep, but I stay up and wait for him.

My house keys my a jingling noise when I drop them on the table. I slide my backpack off my shoulder and head towards the fridge. It's filled with health food stuff, because of my dad. I don't exactly know what his job is, he has never told me, but it obviously involves health food.

I decided the hidden stash of Twinkies under my bed is a better choice, grab my backpack, and head upstairs.

My room is different when I open the door. The walls are brighter, and my bed has a colorful comforter on it. There is a carpet, white, and a TV. "What the..." I say, looking around. A note is taped to my mirror.

"Lyndee! Hey, sorry I can't be here all the time. I hope this pays up from it. I think this room screams you! Love, Dad."

The room screams something, that's for sure. I read the note over, feeling like screaming myself. Why does he do this? He does all this stuff to me, and then thinks he can make it up by redecorating my room? By buying me whatever I want. It's sickening.

I sigh, and drop my backpack on the fluffy, white, unwanted carpet. We don't have homework, seeing it was the first day of school, and only a half day.

What is there to do though? I my old town after school, if I had no homework, I would go to the local hangout. But, what was the local hangout here?

I look out the window in my new perfect bedroom, and decide I was going to look around.

Not to far from my house was the mall. I never used to actually like the mall, and would hardly ever go. I decided I was going to skip the mall this time, too, and kept walking.

A few kids were still at the school, hanging out on the steps. One of them, I recognized, was Sean Cameron, who is in my homeroom. I didn't really want to stay at the school any longer that I actually had to, so I just smiled and kept walking.

I walk to the Dot, and go in, because I see Craig's head. "Hey, Lyndee!" He says when I walk in. I smile and try to say high. Spinner and Marco are sitting with him.

I have to walk past their table to sit down anywhere. When I do walk past, accidentally, I trip over Marco's foot.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, are you okay?" He asks as I sit up.

"Extremely embarrassed..." I mutter.

They laugh, and Craig helps me up. "Whatcha doing?" He asks.

I dunno. What am I doing?

Not wanting to sound like a complete idiot I mutter "I was bored." My arm hurts, from the fall.

I had landed on one of my bruises. Even though it was really hot in the Dot (a/n: Hot in the Dot. I just rhymed!) I still didn't want to take my sweater off.

A blonde girl comes in and brushes past me, sitting down next to Spinner. "Hey Paige!" Marco says. She smiles at him and Craig before going into a long conversation with Spinner.

"You know," Craig says, looking up at me, "You can sit down."

Paige stops and looks at me. I don't know why, but she scares me. I sit on the edge of the seat and listen to the blurred conversations.

Authors Note - Sorry for such a short chapter! I don't have a lot of time to write. P The next one will definitely be longer! I hoped you like this chapter. Please review! I want to know how I'm doing, and how I can improve my writing! Thanks!


	3. 3

"Hey!" Craig greets me as I get out of my car. My dad honks and rolls down his window.

"Lyndee?" He calls. I turn around.

"What?" I ask.

"Come here," He says, eyeing Craig with dislike. I walk back to his car. "Who's he?" He asks, nodded his head toward Craig.

"Oh, no one dad." I say.

"No one? He doesn't look like no one, and he obviously knows who you are."

"Dad, forget it." I say, feeling uncomfortable. In the side mirror I can see Craig still standing there, watching. My dad grabs my wrist, which was on the door.

"Who is he?" He asks again, smiling, twisting my arm.

"Dad! Ow! Stop it!" I say, trying to free myself from his grasp. Craig's eyes narrow. "He's Craig, dad, no one special. Please, let me go!"

My dad looks at him again, then lets me go, red marks on my wrist from his hand. He speeds off without saying good-bye.

"Who was that?" Craig asks, looking at the spot my dad drove off to.

"My dad," I tell him bitterly, holding my wrist, covered by my sweater.

"What'd he do to you?" Craig asks, now looking at me.

"Nothing," I say quickly. Craig grabs my hand and lifts my sleeve, raising her eyebrows.

"He did that, didn't he?" He asks.

"No, Craig, please," I say, trying not to cry.

"You can tell me," He says sweetly. "My dad hurt me too." He releases me arm and it falls limply to my side.

"He did?" I ask, hearing the bell rings from inside the school.

"Yeah," Craig says, starting to walk up the stairs; I follow him.

"What'd you do about it?" I ask, as he opens the door for me.

"Well, my dad died. But before that I ran away."

"Oh," I say. "Sorry."

"It's ok. I was happy when it happened, I thought I hated him."

"I do hate my dad," I say quietly.

"No," Craig says, I raise my eyebrows. "I thought I hated my dad, but I didn't. I only hated the things he did."

"What about your mom?" I ask.

"She left my dad a while back. She died as well."

"Oh, Craig, I'm so sorry." I say. The second bell rings.

"Hey, if you ever need to talk, you know that I'm here right?" He asks, starting to walk down the hall to his first class.

"Yeah, thanks Craig," I say, feeling slightly better.

My only friend in this new school had a father just like mine, which made me like him even more.

I day seemed to last forever, but at last it was three o'clock. Craig was already outside when I met him.

"Hey," He asked, "want to come with us to the dot?"

"Sure," I said smiling. Spinner sighed. Paige muttered something to him under her breath.

Craig smiled at me.

From the Dot, Craig invited me back to his house, where I met Joey, his step dad, and Angela, his stepsister. I don't know what it is about Craig, but I knew he would be different from anyone else I ever met.


End file.
